Chennai Super Kings versus Royal Challengers Bengaluru has always been a fiery rivalry, even if stats suggest the contest being one-sided. Alongside Mumbai Indians, CSK and RCB are the most popular sides in the history of the IPL. Both teams are not short of star power and the fan bases across CSK and RCB have a heated rivalry online, and sometimes, unfortunately, even on the ground.
With that being said, the two teams will battle out for supremacy in Friday’s encounter at the M Chidambaram stadium in Chennai and will look to play to their strengths. Expect both teams to stack their lineup with spinners.
All-rounder love
One defining feature of CSK has been their preference for all-rounders ever since inception. They’ve had some of the best names ply their trade for them such as Albie Morkle (a fan favourite), Andrew Flintoff, Jacob Oram, Dwayne Bravo (another fan favourite), and Ravindra Jadeja to name a few.
However, their current all-rounder Sam Curran hasn’t hit top gear yet. Against the Mumbai Indians in the opening match, the English left-armer conceded 13 runs in the solitary over he bowled while with the bat, during the chase, he scored 4 off 9 balls before being castled by Will Jacks.
Last year’s find, Matheesha Pathirana is knocking on the door and while he brings very little with the bat, the 22-year-old Sri Lankan brings a different dimension with the ball thanks to his ability to bowl at speeds upwards of 145 kmph. However, expect Curran to keep his place as skipper Rutuaj Gaikwad is not expected to make a change this early in the tournament. But the clock is ticking for Curran.
R Ashwin will lead the spin department and he will be ably supported by the troika of left arm spinners in Ravindra Jadeja, Noor Ahmad, and Rachin Ravindra. Curran, Shivam Dube and Khaeel Ahmed (Impact Player) will be the pacers for CSK.
Will Bhuvi make his second debut for RCB?
Veteran Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be a handy bowler for RCB with his experience, especially in the slower Chennai pitch. While he missed the opening win against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens due to a minor injury, he was seen bowling at the nets in Chennai ahead of the game, which is a huge boost for RCB. The team can do with his experience bowling at the death.
Chennai Super Kings (Probable XI): Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (WK), R Ashwin, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Probable XI): Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (C), Devdutt Padikkal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Salam/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
